Automatic window representation adjustment

ABSTRACT

A method, system, and program for automatically adjusting window representations based on activity are provided. Current activity of a window element displayed within a graphical interface is detected. A representation of the window element is automatically adjusted within the display area to reflect current activity of the window element, such that the representation of the window element is graphically represented. In particular, the window element representation may include a minimized icon or an open window. Further, window element activity may include use of the window element, adjustments to the transparency of the window element representation or current resource usage associated with the window element.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] The present application is related to the following co-pendingapplications, which are filed on even date herewith and incorporatedherein by reference:

[0002] (1) U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No.AUS920010513US1); and

[0003] (2) U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No.AUS920010514US1);

[0004] (3) U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No.AUS920010515US1);

[0005] (4) U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No.AUS920010516US1);

[0006] (5) U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No.AUS920010517US1);

[0007] (6) U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No.AUS920010518US1);

[0008] (7) U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No.AUS920010519US1);

[0009] (8) U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No.AUS920010520US1);

[0010] (9) U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No.AUS920010522US1);

[0011] (10) U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No.AUS920010524US1); and

[0012] (11) U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No.AUS920010525US1).

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0013] 1. Technical Field

[0014] The present invention relates in general to computer systems and,in particular, to graphical user interfaces. Still more particularly,the present invention relates to automatically adjusting windowrepresentations within a graphical user interface based on activity.

[0015] 2. Description of the Related Art

[0016] Most operating systems provide a graphical user interface (GUI)for controlling a visual computer environment. The GUI representsprograms, files, and options with graphical images, such as icons,menus, and dialog boxes on the screen. Graphical items defined withinthe GUI work the same way for the user in most software because the GUIprovides standard software routines to handle these elements and reportthe user's actions.

[0017] A typical graphical object defined by a GUI is a window or otherdefined area of a display containing distinguishable text, graphics,video, audio and other information for output. A display area maycontain multiple windows associated with a single software program ormultiple software programs executing concurrently.

[0018] Often when multiple graphical objects are displayed concurrently,the graphical objects will overlap. The order in which graphical objectsare drawn on top of one another onscreen to simulate depth is typicallyknown as the z-order. Typically, those objects at the top of the z-axisobscure the view of those graphical objects drawn below.

[0019] A general limitation of z-ordered windows is that as more windowsare opened within a display area, windows that are at the bottom of thez-order may not remain visible. A user may select to minimize particularwindows into icons or as part of a selectable pop-up list, howeverperforming such actions requires bringing the particular windows firstto the top of the z-order.

[0020] In some operating systems, a level of transparency ortranslucency may be applied to graphical objects, and in particular towindows. By applying a level of translucency to upper level windows,lower level windows are rendered visible through the upper levelwindows. Utilizing translucency is particularly advantageous such thatmultiple levels of windows within the z-order are visible at the sametime.

[0021] A particular limitation of applying translucency to windows isthat some windows may become so transparent that the window is notlonger visible. For example, U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______(Attorney Docket No. AUS920010516US1) describes adjusting thetransparency of a window to reflect the resource usage associated withthe window, sometimes leaving a window completely transparent and thusseemingly unavailable to the user.

[0022] Therefore, in view of the foregoing, it would be advantageous toprovide a method, system, and program, for automatically minimizingwindows that have reached a particular level of activity, including useof the window, a transparency applied to the window, and resource usageassociated with the window.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0023] In view of the foregoing, it is therefore an object of thepresent invention to provide an improved computer system.

[0024] It is another object of the present invention to provide animproved graphical user interface.

[0025] It is yet another object of the present invention to provide amethod, system and program for automatically adjusting windowrepresentations based on activity.

[0026] According to one aspect of the present invention, currentactivity of a window element displayed within a graphical interface isdetected. A representation of the window element is automaticallyadjusted within the display area to reflect current activity of thewindow element, such that the representation of the window element isgraphically represented. In particular, the window elementrepresentation may include a minimized icon or an open window. Further,window element activity may include use of the window element,adjustments to the transparency of the window element representation orcurrent resource usage associated with the window element.

[0027] All objects, features, and advantages of the present inventionwill become apparent in the following detailed written description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] The novel features believed characteristic of the invention areset forth in the appended claims. The invention itself however, as wellas a preferred mode of use, further objects and advantages thereof, willbest be understood by reference to the following detailed description ofan illustrative embodiment when read in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings, wherein:

[0029]FIG. 1 depicts one embodiment of a computer system with which themethod, system and program of the present invention may advantageouslybe utilized;

[0030]FIG. 2 illustrates a graphical representation of a user interfacewhere windows are ordered according to recent usage in accordance withthe method, system, and program of the present invention;

[0031]FIG. 3 depicts a graphical representation of a user interface inwhich representations of windows are adjusted according to recent use inaccordance with the method, system, and program of the presentinvention;

[0032]FIG. 4 illustrates a graphical representation of a user interfacein which the z-ordering of windows is controlled according to memoryusage in accordance with the method, system, and program of the presentinvention;

[0033]FIG. 5 depicts a graphical representation of a user interface inwhich transparency is applied to adjust ordering of windows inaccordance with the method, system, and program of the presentinvention;

[0034]FIG. 6 illustrates a table of minimization and maximizationrepresentation preferences in accordance with the method, system, andprogram of the present invention; and

[0035]FIG. 7 depicts a high level logic flowchart of a process andprogram for adjusting window representations in response to windowrelated activity in accordance with the method, system, and program ofthe present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0036] A method, system, and program for automatically adjusting windowrepresentations based on activity are provided. In addition to windows,the representations of other displayable objects may be adjusted basedon activity. Activity may include use of the window element, adjustmentsto the transparency of the window element representation or currentresource usage associated with the window element. In addition, activitymay include periods of inactivity.

[0037] A “displayable object” may include text, icons, video, graphics,windows, or other logical graphical representations displayable within adisplay area. Displayable objects may be hidden or visible. Further,displayable objects may be layered in a z-order. Moreover, a displayableobject may utilize a portion of a display area or may extend across theentirety of a display area. A displayable object may or may not includedefinable boundaries.

[0038] For purposes of the present invention, a window representation isthe current graphical display format of a window element. A windowelement is preferably the portion of data assigned to a particularwindow. Multiple applications, each defining at least one windowelement, may execute concurrently, where the representations of windowelements from each of the multiple applications are also displayedconcurrently.

[0039] A z-order is the order along the z-axis in which displayableobjects appear. Through a z-buffering technique, a depth is associatedwith each displayable object such that each object appears to be set ata particular depth in comparison with other displayable objects. Thez-order may be a result of the order in which a user opens displayableobjects onto the display. Alternatively, according to one advantage ofthe present invention, a user may designate for the z-order to be setaccording to a particular criteria.

[0040] Transparency is a graphical feature that is particularlyadvantageous to the present invention when displaying multipledisplayable objects within a user interface where those displayableobjects may overlap. As will be understood by one skilled in the art, bymaking a displayable object appear transparent on a computer screen,other displayable objects positioned below the transparent displayableobject are rendered visible through the transparent displayable object.Further, the transparency of a displayable object may be adjusted fromopaque to totally transparent.

[0041] Typically, the transparency attribute is stored with color valuesin an alpha channel. Then, when calculating the appearance of a givenpixel, the graphic processor uses the alpha channel values to determinethe pixel's color through a process termed alpha blending. Through alphablending, the process adds a fraction of the color of the transparentobject set by the alpha channel value to the color of the displayableobject below. Mixing the colors together gives the appearance that thedisplayable object below is seen through a layer of the transparentdisplayable object. In addition to alpha blending, additional shadingmay be added to create shadows and other graphical images to cue theviewer to the position of the transparent displayable object.

[0042] In the following description, for the purposes of explanation,numerous specific details are set forth to provide a thoroughunderstanding of the present invention. It will be apparent, however, toone skilled in the art that the present invention may be practicedwithout these specific details. In other instances, well-knownstructures and devices are shown in block diagram form to avoidunnecessarily obscuring the present invention.

Hardware Overview

[0043] The present invention may be executed in a variety of systems,including a variety of computing systems and electronic devices under anumber of different operating systems. In one embodiment of the presentinvention, the computer system is a portable computing system such as anotebook computer, a palmtop computer, a personal digital assistant, atelephone or other electronic computing system that may also incorporatecommunications features that provide for telephony, enhanced telephony,messaging and information services. However, the computer system mayalso be, for example, a desktop computer, a network computer, a midrangecomputer, a server system or a mainframe computer. Therefore, ingeneral, the present invention is preferably executed in a computersystem that performs computing tasks such as manipulating data instorage that is accessible to the computer system. In addition, thecomputer system preferably includes at least one output device and atleast one input device.

[0044] Referring now to the drawings and in particular to FIG. 1, thereis depicted one embodiment of a computer system with which the method,system and program of the present invention may advantageously beutilized. Computer system 10 comprises a bus 22 or other communicationdevice for communicating information within computer system 10, and atleast one processing device such as processor 12, coupled to bus 22 forprocessing information. Bus 22 preferably includes low-latency andhigh-latency paths that are connected by bridges and controlled withincomputer system 10 by multiple bus controllers.

[0045] Processor 12 may be a general-purpose processor such as IBM'sPowerPC™ processor that, during normal operation, processes data underthe control of operating system and application software stored in adynamic storage device such as random access memory (RAM) 14 and astatic storage device such as Read Only Memory (ROM) 16. The operatingsystem preferably provides a graphical user interface (GUI) to the user.In a preferred embodiment, application software contains machineexecutable instructions that when executed on processor 12 carry out theoperations depicted in the flowcharts of FIG. 7 and others describedherein. Alternatively, the steps of the present invention might beperformed by specific hardware components that contain hardwire logicfor performing the steps, or by any combination of programmed computercomponents and custom hardware components.

[0046] The present invention may be provided as a computer programproduct, included on a machine-readable medium having stored thereon themachine executable instructions used to program computer system 10 toperform a process according to the present invention. The term“machine-readable medium” as used herein includes any medium thatparticipates in providing instructions to processor 12 or othercomponents of computer system 10 for execution. Such a medium may takemany forms including, but not limited to, non-volatile media, volatilemedia, and transmission media. Common forms of non-volatile mediainclude, for example, a floppy disk, a flexible disk, a hard disk,magnetic tape or any other magnetic medium, a compact disc ROM (CD-ROM),a digital video disc-ROM (DVD-ROM) or any other optical medium, punchcards or any other physical medium with patterns of holes, aprogrammable ROM (PROM), an erasable PROM (EPROM), electrically EPROM(EEPROM), a flash memory, any other memory chip or cartridge, or anyother medium from which computer system 10 can read and which issuitable for storing instructions. In the present embodiment, an exampleof non-volatile media is storage device 18. Volatile media includesdynamic memory such as RAM 14. Transmission media includes coaxialcables, copper wire or fiber optics, including the wires that comprisebus 22. Transmission media can also take the form of acoustic or lightwaves, such as those generated during radio wave or infrared datacommunications.

[0047] Moreover, the present invention may be downloaded as a computerprogram product, wherein the program instructions may be transferredfrom a remote computer such as a server 39 to requesting computer system10 by way of data signals embodied in a carrier wave or otherpropagation medium via a network link 34 (e.g., a modem or networkconnection) to a communications interface 32 coupled to bus 22.Communications interface 32 provides a two-way data communicationscoupling to network link 34 that may be connected, for example, to alocal area network (LAN), wide area network (WAN), or as depictedherein, directly to an Internet Service Provider (ISP) 37. Inparticular, network link 34 may provide wired and/or wireless networkcommunications to one or more networks.

[0048] ISP 37 in turn provides data communication services through theInternet 38 or other network. Internet 38 may refer to the worldwidecollection of networks and gateways that use a particular protocol, suchas Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and Internet Protocol (IP), tocommunicate with one another. ISP 37 and Internet 38 both useelectrical, electromagnetic, or optical signals that carry digital datastreams. The signals through the various networks and the signals onnetwork link 34 and through communication interface 32, which carry thedigital data to and from computer system 10, are exemplary forms ofcarrier waves transporting the information.

[0049] Further, multiple peripheral components may be added to computersystem 10. For example, an audio output 28 is attached to bus 22 forcontrolling audio output through a speaker or other audio projectiondevice. A display 24 is also attached to bus 22 for providing visual,tactile or other graphical representation formats. Display 24 mayinclude both non-transparent surfaces, such as monitors, and transparentsurfaces, such as headset sunglasses or vehicle windshield displays.

[0050] A keyboard 26 and cursor control device 30, such as a mouse,trackball, or cursor direction keys, are coupled to bus 22 as interfacesfor user inputs to computer system 10. Keyboard 26 and cursor controldevice 30 can control the position of a cursor positioned within adisplay area of display 24. It should be understood that keyboard 26 andcursor control device 30 are examples of multiple types of input devicesthat may be utilized in the present invention. In alternate embodimentsof the present invention, additional input and output peripheralcomponents may be added.

Recently Used Translucency Context

[0051] Referring now to FIG. 2, there is depicted a graphicalrepresentation of a user interface where windows are ordered accordingto recent usage in accordance with the method, system, and program ofthe present invention. As illustrated, a user interface 50 includeswindows 52, 54, and 56. In the present example, window 52 is positionedat the top level of the z-order, followed in position by window 54, andthen window 56.

[0052] In the example, windows 52, 54, and 56 are open representationsof window elements because the windows are displayed in an open windowformat. While in the present embodiment the sizes of the openrepresentations are similar, in alternate embodiments of the presentinvention, alternate sizes of open representations of window elementsmay be displayed.

[0053] In addition, in the example, windows 52, 54, and 56 are z-orderedaccording to recent use, where the most recently used window isdisplayed as the top level of the z-order. While the z-order of windowstraditionally reflects the order of recent use, as will be furtherdescribed, criteria for ordering windows may be adjusted.

[0054] A shadow 58 is applied to window 52 in order to distinguish thatwindow 52 is displayed at the top level of the z-order. In alternateembodiments, additional shading may also be added to lower levelswindows in order to further graphically distinguish the ordering ofwindows.

[0055] In addition, adding shading to windows is particularlyadvantageous where transparency is applied to windows. Although notdepicted, levels of transparency may be applied to each of windows 52,54, and 56 to further distinguish the ordering of the windows. Forexample, window 52 may be displayed at 0% transparency, while window 54is displayed at 20% transparency and window 56 is displayed at 40%transparency.

[0056] With reference now to FIG. 3, there is illustrated a graphicalrepresentation of a user interface in which representations of windowsare adjusted according to recent use in accordance with the method,system, and program of the present invention.

[0057] As depicted, the window representation of window 56 is minimized.In the example, the minimized window representation of window 56graphical represents that window 56 is the least recently used window.When determining recent use, the use of windows with representationsthat are both open and minimized is preferably compared.

[0058] In particular, where transparency is applied to windowrepresentations in addition to or as an alternative to ordering, theleast recently window representation may become so transparent thatvisibility is limited. In that case, it is advantageous to automaticallyminimize the least recently used window representation to an icon orpop-up list, such that the screen space utilized to depict the leastrecently used window representation is minimized and the least recentlyused window representation is visible. Where multiple windowrepresentations are minimized, the minimized window representations arepreferably further ordered to indicate recent usage.

[0059] Referring now to FIG. 4, there is depicted a graphicalrepresentation of a user interface in which the z-ordering of windows iscontrolled according to memory usage in accordance with the method,system, and program of the present invention. As illustrated, window 56is depicted at the top level of the z-order, followed by window 52 andthen window 54.

[0060] According to one advantage of the present invention, windows maybe z-ordered according to multiple criteria. Here, memory usageassociated with each window is utilized as the z-ordering criteria,where the window utilizing the least memory is displayed at the top ofthe z-order. Therefore, according to the graphical display, a user mayeasily determine that “appl #2” is utilizing the most memory of theapplication windows currently active.

[0061] According to another advantage of the present invention, criteriamay be designated for minimizing and maximizing window representationsaccording to resource usage. Here, a criteria is designated to minimizethe window with the greatest memory usage if the total memory usage isgreater than 80% of the memory available. Therefore, the minimizedrepresentation of window 54 indicates that window 54 utilizes thegreatest memory usage where the total memory usage is greater than 80%of the memory available.

[0062] In addition, a z-order chart 60 is provided as a tool forgraphically designating the current criteria utilized to determine thez-order and the resulting order. Advantageously, multiple z-ordercharts, each utilizing independent criteria for ordering the windows,may be displayed concurrently, where upon user selection of one of thez-order charts, the windows are ordered according to that chart.

[0063] Further, levels of transparency are applied to each of thewindows. Here, where window 56 is at the top of the z-order, 0%transparency is applied to the representation of window 56. However,window 52 is displayed at 40% transparency to indicate that window 52 islower in the z-order than window 56. While the transparency applied towindows in the present example correlates with the z-order position ofthe windows, in alternate embodiments, the transparency of windows maybe adjusted according to other criteria.

[0064] With reference now to FIG. 5, there is illustrated a graphicalrepresentation of a user interface in which transparency is applied toadjust ordering of windows in accordance with the method, system, andprogram of the present invention.

[0065] As illustrated, window 56 is assigned 0% transparency, window 52is assigned 30% transparency and window 54 is assigned 95% transparency.According to the present example, transparency assignments are madeaccording to recent use of windows, such that most recently used windowsare the least transparent and the least recently used windows are themost transparent. However, in alternate embodiments, alternate criteriamay be designated for specifying transparencies of windows. In addition,a user may selectively adjust the transparency of a single window ormultiple windows.

[0066] According to one advantage of the present invention, criteria maybe designated for minimizing and maximizing window representationsaccording to transparency assignments of windows. In the example, acriteria is designated to automatically minimize windows with atransparency attribute greater than 90% transparency. Here, window 54 isassigned a transparency attribute of 95%, leading to a minimized windowrepresentation. Advantageously transparency criteria may be furtherdistinguished according to the type of window, the information containedwithin a window, or the type of software controlling the window.

[0067] In addition, the windows are z-ordered according to CPUutilization. Z-order chart 62 indicates both the CPU utilization basedordering of the windows and the transparencies assigned to each window.Advantageously, through the use of z-ordering and transparencyadjustment, window activity may be graphically described anddistinguished.

[0068] Referring now to FIG. 6, there is depicted a table ofminimization and maximization representation preferences in accordancewith the method, system, and program of the present invention. Asillustrated, a table 70 depicts transparency based preferences 72,resource usage preferences 74, and general usage preference 76.

[0069] Transparency based preferences 72 are first distinguishedaccording to the type of software controlling the window. For each ofthe types of software controlling windows, further criteria is providedfor minimizing and maximizing window representations. In addition, thecriteria may be distinguished according to the type of window and theinformation contained within the window. Further, the criteria may bedistinguished according to the criteria utilized to set the transparencyfor the window.

[0070] Resource usage preferences 74 are distinguished according toresource usage. In the examples, windows are minimized or maximizedaccording to memory usage and sound card usage. In addition, resourceusage may include, but is not limited to graphics card usage, number ofCPUs used, total usage of each CPU, number of threads used, data storageusage and net bandwidth.

[0071] General usage preferences 76 are distinguished according torecent usage of windows. In the example, the least recently usedapplication window is automatically minimized if the total number ofwindows active within the display area is greater than three windows,but less than nine windows. Then, the two least recently usedapplications windows are automatically minimized if the total number ofwindows active within the display area is nine windows or greater thannine windows. In addition, the third and fourth most recently usedwindows are automatically minimized, unless currently active.

[0072] In addition to designating whether to minimize or maximize awindow, a user may also specify attributes of the representation that isminimized or maximized. For example, when a window is being minimized,the user may specify whether the window representation is to be aselectable icon or part of a selectable pop-up list. Further, thetransparency attribute, position, and other graphical characteristicsmay be designated. When a window is being maximized, the user mayspecify the size of the open representation, the position of the openrepresentation, the transparency and hue of the open representation, andthe z-order position of the open representation.

[0073] With reference now to FIG. 7, there is illustrated a high levellogic flowchart of a process and program for adjusting windowrepresentations in response to window related activity in accordancewith the method, system, and program of the present invention. Asdepicted, the process starts at block 90 and thereafter proceeds toblock 92.

[0074] Block 92 illustrates monitoring current window activity includinguse, transparency attributes, and resource usage associated with windowsthat are currently displayed. Next, block 94 depicts a determination asto whether or not an adjustment in window activity is detected. If anadjustment in window activity is not detected, then the process passesto block 92. If an adjustment in window activity is detected, then theprocess passes to block 96.

[0075] Block 96 depicts comparing the window activity with theminimization and maximization representation preferences. Next, block 98illustrates a determination as to whether or not any current windowrepresentations qualify for minimization or maximization. If no currentwindow representations qualify for minimization of maximization, thenthe process returns to block 92. If a current window representationqualifies for minimization or maximization, then the process passes toblock 100. Block 100 illustrates minimizing and maximizing thequalifying window representations according to representationpreferences, and the process ends.

[0076] While the invention has been particularly shown and describedwith reference to a preferred embodiment, it will be understood by thoseskilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may be madetherein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for automatic window representationadjustment, said method comprising the steps of: detecting currentactivity of a window element within a graphical interface; andautomatically performing at least one of minimizing said window elementand maximizing said window element to reflect said current activity,such that a representation of said window element is graphicallyrepresented.
 2. The method for automatic window representationadjustment according to claim 1, said step of automatically adjustingfurther comprising the step of: automatically adjusting a position ofsaid window element within a z-order of a plurality of windows displayedwithin said graphical interface.
 3. The method for automatic windowrepresentation adjustment according to claim 1, said step ofautomatically adjusting further comprising the step of: automaticallyadjusting a size of said window element.
 4. The method for automaticwindow representation adjustment according to claim 1, said step ofdetecting current activity further comprising the step of: detectingcurrent use of a window element.
 5. The method for automatic windowrepresentation adjustment according to claim 1, said step of detectingcurrent activity further comprising the step of: detecting atransparency of said representation of said window element.
 6. Themethod for automatic window representation adjustment according to claim1, said step of detecting current activity further comprising the stepof: detecting a resource usage associated with said window element. 7.The method for automatic window representation adjustment according toclaim 1, said method further comprising: detecting current activity inassociation with a plurality of windows elements displayed within saidgraphical interface; and adjusting alpha levels associated with each ofsaid plurality of window elements to order said plurality of windowelements to reflect said current activity.
 8. The method for automaticwindow representation adjustment according to claim 7, said methodfurther comprising the step of: adjusting alpha levels of a selection ofsaid plurality of window elements that are minimized representations ofa plurality of windows.
 9. The method for automatic windowrepresentation adjustment according to claim 7, said method furthercomprising the step of: performing at least one minimizing andmaximizing each of said plurality of window elements in response toadjusting said alpha levels of each of said plurality of windowelements.
 10. A system for automatic window representation adjustment,said system comprising: a graphical user interface; means for detectingcurrent activity of a window element within said graphical userinterface; and means for automatically performing at least one ofminimizing said window element and maximizing said window element toreflect said current activity.
 11. The system for automatic windowrepresentation adjustment according to claim 10, said means forautomatically adjusting further comprising: means for automaticallyadjusting a position of said window element within a z-order of aplurality of windows displayed within said graphical interface.
 12. Thesystem for automatic window representation adjustment according to claim10, said means for automatically adjusting further comprising: means forautomatically adjusting a size of said window element.
 13. The systemfor automatic window representation adjustment according to claim 10,said means for detecting current activity further comprising: means fordetecting current use of a window element.
 14. The system for automaticwindow representation adjustment according to claim 10, said means fordetecting current activity further comprising: means for detecting atransparency of said representation of said window element.
 15. Thesystem for automatic window representation adjustment according to claim10, said means for detecting current activity further comprising: meansfor detecting a resource usage associated with said window element. 16.The system for automatic window representation adjustment according toclaim 10, said system further comprising: means for detecting currentactivity in association with a plurality of windows elements displayedwithin said graphical interface; and means for adjusting alpha levelsassociated with each of said plurality of window elements to order saidplurality of window elements to reflect said current activity.
 17. Thesystem for automatic window representation adjustment according to claim16, said system further comprising: means for adjusting alpha levels ofa selection of said plurality of window elements that are minimizedrepresentations of a plurality of windows.
 18. The system for automaticwindow representation adjustment according to claim 16, said systemfurther comprising: means for performing at least one minimizing andmaximizing each of said plurality of window elements in response toadjusting said alpha levels of each of said plurality of windowelements.
 19. A program for automatic window representation adjustment,residing on a computer usable medium having computer readable programcode means, said program comprising: means for detecting currentactivity of a window element within a graphical interface; and means forautomatically controlling performance of at least one of minimizing saidwindow element and maximizing said window element to reflect saidcurrent activity.
 20. The program for automatic window representationadjustment according to claim 19, said program further comprising: meansfor automatically controlling adjustment of a position of said windowelement within a z-order of a plurality of windows displayed within saidgraphical interface.
 21. The program for automatic window representationadjustment according to claim 19, said program further comprising: meansfor automatically controlling adjustment of a size of said windowelement.
 22. The program for automatic window representation adjustmentaccording to claim 19, said program further comprising: means fordetecting current use of a window element.
 23. The program for automaticwindow representation adjustment according to claim 19, said programfurther comprising: means for detecting a transparency of saidrepresentation of said window element.
 24. The program for automaticwindow representation adjustment according to claim 19, said programfurther comprising: means for detecting a resource usage associated withsaid window element.
 25. The program for automatic window representationadjustment according to claim 19, said program further comprising: meansfor detecting current activity in association with a plurality ofwindows elements displayed within said graphical interface; and meansfor controlling adjustment of alpha levels associated with each of saidplurality of window elements to order said plurality of window elementsto reflect said current activity.
 26. The program for automatic windowrepresentation adjustment according to claim 25, said program furthercomprising: means for controlling adjustment of alpha levels of aselection of said plurality of window elements that are minimizedrepresentations of a plurality of windows.
 27. The program for automaticwindow representation adjustment according to claim 25, said programfurther comprising: means for controlling performance of at least oneminimizing and maximizing each of said plurality of window elements inresponse to adjusting said alpha levels of each of said plurality ofwindow elements.